[News] Please stop suckling your breastfeeding wives because it’s causing infant malnutrition – District Commissioner advises Tanzanian men

District Commissioner, Siriel Mchembe

The issue of men ”competing” for breast milk with babies has gripped the Tanzania’s coastal region of Tanga, TheCitizen reports.

 

Speaking with the media, Handeni District Commissioner, Siriel Mchembe, said men breast-feeding has stood out as a severe concern in the country.

 

According to Mchembe, breastfeeding women in the district have asked her to help them raise their voices against husbands who suck their breasts as they cause shortage of milk for their children.

 

 

On her part, Handeni District Council nutrition officer, Julia Charo said that as of June 21, this year, 3,856 children under the age of five were found to be underweight.

 

She said that in the case of children with stunted growth, 34% of all children referred and treated at the clinic and 7519 pregnant women who were tested for blood volume, 102 were diagnosed with severe anemia.